


meet me in the afterglow

by thank_raziel



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Canon Compliant, Dates, Developing Relationship, Famous Magnus Bane, Fluff, M/M, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, One Shot, POV Outsider, Post-Episode: s01e13 Morning Star, Post-Season/Series 01, Pre-Season/Series 02, kind of? you'll see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24904411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thank_raziel/pseuds/thank_raziel
Summary: Holy crap.That was Magnus Bane. High Warlock of Brooklyn. With Alec Lightwood. Head of the New York Institute. Sitting in the corner booth of the diner where she worked. On a date.Holy crap.Or, an outsider witnesses Magnus and Alec on a date.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 15
Kudos: 297





	meet me in the afterglow

**Author's Note:**

> *rises from the dead* HI I'M BACK AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO IGNORE THAT I HAVEN'T POSTED IN A MONTH
> 
> anyways this was just a burst of inspiration that came when I was writing the second chapter of another fic. I've always wanted to try outsider pov and it was really fun and interesting for me to write! I would love to possibly do another.
> 
> not super edited so feel free to point out any mistakes I may have missed, enjoy the show!  
> note: this has a few book elements mixed in since I'm doing a reread, but all you need to know is that taki's is a diner in the books where they meet up a lot and stuff :)  
> title is from Afterglow by Taylor Swift

_Ding!_

Lucia looked up from her notepad at the sound of the small bell that resided above the glass doors, followed by shuffling footsteps and barely stifled laughter. Two men had tumbled through the doors, faces red and suppressing small giggles as they looked at each other with fond expressions. The taller was dressed in all black, an untidy head of brown hair that became even more dishevelled as he ran a hand through it. Spiralling black lines inked on his neck peeked out of the collar of his leather jacket. 

_A Shadowhunter._ It wasn’t unheard of for Shadowhunters to come to Taki’s, the old-fashioned diner where she worked as a waitress. Jace Herondale was a notable regular, although she suspected he came for Chloe, a pretty Seelie who worked the cash register, not the food. 

She sighed. It was only her and two others on shift tonight, and they were already occupied with customers. After a day filled with demanding customers and getting yelled at by her boss, Lucia wanted to go home and relax, not deal with another self-absorbed, entitled Shadowhunter who thought they were the sole cause of the world not imploding at their feet. 

Even though Lucia was fairly new, she had already learned the tips and tricks of most of the regulars who came in. Raphael Santiago, head of the New York Clan, liked deer blood as opposed to cow and tipped generously if you didn’t bother him. A girl with curly brown hair and scars on the side of her neck faithfully came in every Thursday evening, usually toting along a laptop and what looked like college textbooks. Lucia never caught her name, but the few times she had served her the girl had ordered a different thing every time. She was always polite and even if she didn’t tip as much, she never made a mess or caused a commotion. Jace Herondale had his coffee with 2 sugars and always wanted a white-chocolate cranberry cookie if they had them. Sometimes he brought along a tall, brown-eyed guy and a curvy girl with the same dark hair as him. What were their names? Izzy and Alec. Both Lightwoods. 

Lucia squinted at the unknown Shadowhunter, now sitting at a booth with his companion. He _did_ look an awful lot like Alec Lightwood. But she had never seen him come in without Jace. Shaking her head a bit, Lucia focused her attention on the other man, sitting across from Alec Lightwood. 

And almost dropped her pencil. 

Was that Magnus Bane? It looked like it, considering the bold, glittery makeup and the flowy shirt unbuttoned to his sternum. There were blond streaks in his hair, and as he waved his hands around, telling some kind of story to the other, she noticed his nails were painted a deep mahogany and that there were at least 3 rings on each of his slender hands. 

Magnus Bane was a bit of a legend in the Shadow World. He was extremely powerful and intelligent, having invented the Portal, and his caring and selfless nature made him the first person to go to if you needed help. Not to mention his habit of partying through the decades. 

It was shocking that Lucia hadn’t noticed him before the Shadowhunter, because he definitely turned heads when he walked into a room. Probably thanks to the fact that the man was _gorgeous._ There was no denying that because Magnus Bane could pull off outfits that would look ridiculous on anyone else effortlessly. 

In another situation, she probably would have given it a shot and flirted with him in hopes of earning an invitation back to his apartment, but if that was Magnus Bane, then there was no doubt that the other was Alec Lightwood. On a date. 

Holy crap. 

Alec Lightwood, a closeted Shadowhunter that was set to become Head of the Institute making out with Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn _at his own wedding_ to another woman was still the biggest piece of gossip to date. Lucia couldn’t help but respect Alec a bit because something like that took guts. Faeries weren’t picky about things like gender or species when choosing partners, but she knew that to be a queer Shadowhunter was still taboo and unheard of and being with a Downworlder was just the cherry on top of the rainbow cake. 

She took their orders, Magnus kindly smiling up at her when he asked if she was new and ordering an apricot-peach smoothie. When Alec asked for a coffee with two creams, Magnus laughed and hit him in the shoulder, saying that “it was 8 PM, how are you going to sleep”. 

As she walked away, a small smile creeping on her face at Alec responding with “Shadowhunters don’t sleep, sleep is for the weak”. Lucia could still hear their playful banter from her spot beside the kitchen door, and briefly wondered what they were laughing about when they came in. From the snippets of their conversation that floated to her ears, they were talking about something that had to do with dancing, the 1900s, and... Peru? Whatever it was, they seemed to be enjoying themselves, almost like their small corner booth was in a completely different world. 

“Order up!” A yell brought Lucia out of her thoughts, and she stood up, tucking a flyaway strand of her golden hair behind a pointed ear. Grabbing the two drinks, she brought them to the two men’s table, the heat of the coffee warming her hands. Lucia carefully set them down on the polished wood, brushing away a few invisible crumbs. 

“Enjoy,” she said with a small smile. Magnus easily returned it, while Alec murmured a “thanks” and nodded politely. 

Nights were usually slow and after she got over the fact that Magnus Bane and his Shadowhunter boyfriend walked through the door of her work, it was quite uneventful and boring. Lucia had texted her girlfriend about it when she had a spare moment and from the long string of capitalized keyboard smashes that followed, Camelia was somewhere between denial and anger. 

And as the evening went on, Lucia found herself sneaking a glance at the couple whenever she had a spare moment. There was something about the two men that was so enchanting, and how it was so obvious they were both head-over-heels, entirely in love with each other. The kind of love that was so pure and unreal and eternal that it seemed like something out of one of those mundane romance films Camelia liked so much. It might be how Magnus quietly slid his hand across the table, an open invitation, and how Alec laid his on top without missing a beat, cheeks flushing a deep red after he realized what he did. It might be how Alec gazed with unguarded wonder in his eyes as Magnus retold one of his famous adventures, and how Magnus laughed, eyes shining, as the Shadowhunter grinned, the most expressive she had ever seen him. Once, she had looked over to see the warlock pressing a chaste kiss to Alec’s pink lips. 

Somewhere around midnight, the faerie saw them getting up from their seats. Alec reached for his jacket pocket, presumably to take something out, but Magnus snapped his fingers and a small piece of paper fluttered down to rest on the surface. The taller sighed and batted his arm gently, face pulled into a pout. They left shortly after, and Lucia retired her spot beside the kitchen to clean up and wipe down the table. 

She picked up the paper Magnus had left, and felt her eyebrows shoot into her hairline at the $100 bill in her hand. Their order was just over $10, including the single slice of cheesecake they had ordered later in the night. Plus, their table was shining, not a crumb in sight. 

Lucia quickly shoved the bill into the pocket of her jeans, a smile spreading across her face. 

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad day after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it or it at least helped you pass the time a bit :) school's ending for me so hopefully, I'll be writing more.
> 
> kudos (kudoses? kudi?) and comments raise my motivation by like 1638% so it would really mean a lot to me if you took a moment to tell me your thoughts. concrit is welcome as well, I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. 
> 
> okay thanks for reading! until next time <3


End file.
